A simple and effective metaheuristic for the Minimum Latency Problem

The Minimum Latency Problem (MLP) is a variant of the Traveling Salesman Problem which aims to minimize the sum of arrival times at vertices. The problem arises in a number of practical applications such as logistics for relief supply, scheduling and data retrieval in computer networks. This paper introduces a simple metaheuristic for the MLP, based on a greedy randomized approach for solution construction and iterated variable neighborhood descent with random neighborhood ordering for solution improvement. Extensive computational experiments on nine sets of benchmark instances involving up to 1000 customers demonstrate the good performance of the method, which yields solutions of higher quality in less computational time when compared to the current best approaches from the literature. Optimal solutions, known for problems with up to 50 customers, are also systematically obtained in a fraction of seconds.     

Singlet Oxygen Generation Enhanced by Silver-Pectin Nanoparticles

We demonstrate the potential application of silver-pectin nanoparticles on photodynamic therapy, on a solution-base platform. Photodynamic therapy is a medical technique which uses a combination of photosensitizing drugs and light to induce selective damage on the target tissue, by electronically excited and highly reactive singlet state of oxygen. Metal enhanced singlet oxygen generation in riboflavin water solution with silver-pectin nanoparticles was observed and quantified. Here 13 nm silver nanospheres enclosed by a pectin layer were synthesized and it interaction with riboflavin molecule was analyzed. Pectin, a complex carbohydrate found in plants primary cell walls, was used to increase the biocompatibility of the silver nanoparticles and to improve metal enhanced singlet oxygen generation (28.5 %) and metal-enhanced fluorescence (30.7 %) processes at room temperature. The singlet oxygen sensor fluorescent green reagent was used to quantify the enhancement of the riboflavin singlet oxygen production induced by the silver colloid. We report a 1.7-fold increase of riboflavin emission and a 1.8-fold enhancement of singlet oxygen production.     

Linear stability analysis of transverse dunes

Sand-moving winds blowing from a constant direction in an area of high sand availability form transverse dunes, which have a fixed profile in the direction orthogonal to the wind. Here we show, by means of a linear stability analysis, that transverse dunes are intrinsically unstable. Any perturbation in the cross-wind profile of a transverse dune amplifies in the course of dune migration due to the combined effect of two main factors, namely: the lateral transport through avalanches along the dune’s slip-face, and the scaling of dune migration velocity with the inverse of the dune height. Our calculations provide a quantitative explanation for recent observations from experiments and numerical simulations, which showed that transverse dunes moving on the bedrock (or “transverse sand ridges”) cannot exist in a stable form and decay into a chain of crescent-shaped barchans.     

Effect of Bee Pollen on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Starch Films

The use of casein, starch and bee pollen as biodegradable materials has been promise. The objective of this work was the development and characterization of films containing casein, pollen and starch. The films were obtained by casting process and the solvent evaporation was performed at 40 °C/24 h. The films characterization was carried out by microscopy, thermal analysis, opacity test, mechanical properties and barrier methods. The starch films presented heterogeneous on microscopy analysis. The thermal behaviors of pollen films were similar. The formulation containing only pollen 3% was unable to form film. The introduction of pollen in starch film formulation improved the mechanical characteristic and thermal stability of films.     

Structural and Morphological Characterization of Pt/WO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>–ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Catalysts

Abstract  Catalysts of Pt/WO _x –ZrO₂ type with 1 wt% of Pt and 10, 15 and 20 wt% of tungsten were synthesized and characterized. The structural and morphological features of these catalysts were studied. The samples were synthesized by impregnation method and calcined at 600 °C, 700 °C and 800 °C. The characterizations were carried out using different techniques: X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, nitrogen adsorption measurement and refinement of their crystalline structures by Rietveld method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation ZrO₂ and WO₃ crystalline structures and its crystallite size were determined. The zirconium oxide crystallized into tetragonal and monoclinic phases and tungsten trioxide crystallized into monoclinic phase. Crystalline WO₃ and amorphous WO _x species were detected by Raman spectra. Index Abstract  Catalysts of Pt/WO _x –ZrO₂ type with 1 wt% of Pt and 10, 15 and 20 wt% of tungsten were synthesized and characterized. The structural and morphological features of these catalysts were studied. The samples were synthesized by impregnation method and calcined at 600 °C, 700 °C and 800 °C. The characterizations were carried out using different techniques: X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, nitrogen adsorption measurement and refinement of their crystalline structures by Rietveld method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation ZrO₂ and WO₃ crystalline structures and its crystalline size were determined. The zirconium oxide crystallized into tetragonal and monoclinic phases and tungsten trioxide crystallized into monoclinic phase. Crystalline WO₃ and amorphous WO _x species were detected by Raman spectra.     

A primal dual modified subgradient algorithm with sharp Lagrangian

We apply a modified subgradient algorithm (MSG) for solving the dual of a nonlinear and nonconvex optimization problem. The dual scheme we consider uses the sharp augmented Lagrangian. A desirable feature of this method is primal convergence, which means that every accumulation point of a primal sequence (which is automatically generated during the process), is a primal solution. This feature is not true in general for available variants of MSG. We propose here two new variants of MSG which enjoy both primal and dual convergence, as long as the dual optimal set is nonempty. These variants have a very simple choice for the stepsizes. Moreover, we also establish primal convergence when the dual optimal set is empty. Finally, our second variant of MSG converges in a finite number of steps.     

In vitro assessment of thermal changes in human teeth during photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy performed with red light sources

Abstract  

Photo-disinfection of deep dentin caries lesions may be a useful tool for preserving tooth structure. However, increase of pulpal temperature higher than 5.5°C may put pulp vitality in danger.     

Neodymium and europium complexes with amides and cyclic aminoxides

Complexes of neodymium and europium with amides and aminoxides were synthesized and characterized by complexometric analyses with EDTA, CHN microanalytical procedures, IR absorption spectra, absorption spectra of neodymium complexes, emission spectrum of europium compounds at 77 K, thermogravimetric analyses in N2 and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in N2. Infrared spectroscopy results revealed that the nitrate molecules are bound to the central ions as bidentate. Thermogravimetric plots indicated that the decomposition of the complexes occurs in the range 363-1163 K and resulted in the formation of Ln₂O₃ residues. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.